1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a supporting arrangement for supporting a building wall, such as a foundation wall, against externally-caused forces tending to move the wall, or a part of the wall, inwardly toward the interior of the structure of which the wall is a part. More particularly, the present invention relates to a wall support that includes upper and lower jacking members for acting against upper and lower portions of a beam that is positioned against the interior surface of the wall to be supported, for transferring supporting forces from the jacking members to the interior surface of the wall, either to support the wall or to push the wall outwardly from an inwardly-deflected position.
2. Description of the Related Art
Building walls, such as foundation walls that are below ground level, are subjected to external forces that act against the wall outer surface. For foundation walls, such forces result from the pressure of the surrounding earth that abuts the outer surface of the wall. Additionally, hydrostatic forces caused by water in the ground adjacent to the wall, either from rainfall or other sources, can add significantly to the inwardly-directed forces that act on the outer surfaces of foundation walls. Further, the roots of foundation plants and trees, that enlarge and spread over time, can also exert pressures against foundation walls by slowly expanding toward the wall outer surface, acting against the wall outer surface by direct contact, or indirectly by expanding and pushing the earth surrounding the roots against the wall surface.
As a result of forces applied to their exterior surfaces, foundation walls can bow, deflect, or shift inwardly, or they can crack or progressively fracture over time, causing water leaks and adversely affecting the structural integrity of the building or structure of which the wall is a part. Accordingly, some means of interiorly-positioned support is desirable to control or limit inward wall deflection to avoid collapse of the wall.
A number of different wall supporting arrangements have been devised to overcome inward movement or inward deflection of foundation walls. Some of the previously-devised support arrangements involve externally-positioned, in-ground anchors placed in the ground adjacent to the outer surface of the wall. Those arrangements generally include a rod that is suitably anchored in the earth at an outer end and is connected to or extends through the wall to serve as a stop to limit inward movement of the wall. Other support arrangements that are intended to be positioned adjacent the interior surface of the wall are of a large and complex nature and protrude into the interior space to such an extent as to significantly limit the useable area of that interior space. It is therefore desirable to provide a wall support arrangement that is effective to limit inward movement of a building wall, that is readily adjustable to respond to changed wall loading conditions and deflection, and that does not excessively intrude into the adjoining interior space.